Dooley Noted: 8/19/2014
On Saturday, I returned from visiting another continent in another hemisphere: Australia.
When I made this same trek in March, I had jetlag upon my return. I couldn’t sleep for a 36-hour period, and I felt out of it for four days.
This trip, I was determined to figure out a system to help me avoid the jetlag experience. I gathered advice from several jet-setting friends, and these tips completely worked! I had zero jetlag, and I feel awesome (72 hours later and counting).
Here are the crucial tips I utilized that helped me bounce back like a ninja free falling from a rooftop.
1. Sleep cycling:
My friend and jet-setter Jenny Richardson told me it was imperative to always sleep on the cycle of wherever you are traveling. I used the World Clock on my iPhone to keep track. When I traveled to Australia, I slept strictly on their clock. When I traveled home to New York, I abided by the same rule. This worked like a charm. I had zero sleep issues upon my return.
2. Water consumption:
I’ll admit that I’m not a great water drinker. So, I did the best I could to force feed myself water on my flights and during all travel. I believe this helped eliminate the mental fog and fatigue associated with jetlag.
3. Nap on arrival:
I took a nap after my arrival, but I waited until the afternoon. I felt like I could run a marathon when I awoke. Try to limit it to 20 minutes minimum to 90 minutes maximum for the best results.
4. Workouts:
I kept consistent (yet less intense) workouts while traveling and in transit. When I returned home, I kept these up. I lost no real strength or conditioning. I believe this helped with recovery from all the flying (read: sitting).
5. Athletic Greens:
While it may be the most disgusting stuff on Earth, my brilliant friend and colleague Dr. Cameron Brown turned me onto this supplement. I superdosed it while overseas and upon returning home, and my energy never waned once.
6. Time Off:
I didn’t go immediately back to my intense schedule upon my return. I had a laid-back yet active weekend, and I kept my Monday workday light (7 hours, versus 14 hours). It helped immensely.
7. Schisandra Dreams:
I was recommended this all-natural Chinese herbal sleep supplement by fantastic acupuncturist Jeremy Pulsifer. Packed with schisandra and valerian root, this supplement gave me vivid dreams but some solid REM cycles. I took it only upon my return, and my sleep went uninterrupted. Since some medications interfere with it’s ingredients, make sure to check with your pharmacist about drug interactions.
I hope these tips help you as much as they helped me!
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley